SPRING COLLECTION: DESIGN #3

Here is the third outfit in my collection! For this look, I was inspired by the grassy texture of Lanvin's green tweed top. The texture and frayed edges of the top are so aesthetically pleasing. Raw hems are normally looked down upon but this Lanvin top would not have the same effect without it! Plus, going back to the earthy mood of my collection, you can't get any more organic with your inspiration than from grass! :) I really wanted to own my own grass-inspired piece so I set out to make a pair of high-waisted shorts using burlap fabric. From there on, I focused on building the rest of the look to accent the burlap shorts. In my opinion, this is a look that showcases craftsmanship, more so than innovative design-- the pieces may be rather simple but the burlap more than made up for the lack of difficulty that comes with complexity! ;)

Burlap isn't a fabric that is generally used for apparel construction because of it's rough texture and extreme tendency to fray. On the plus side, burlap is rather cheap at $3 or 4 dollars per yard and dyes very well. I used about 1.5 yards of natural jute burlap which was originally cream colored. Once again, I used McCall's M6238 Pattern, which is the pattern I always go to when I want to make a pair of high-waisted shorts! When I started cutting the pattern pieces, it really startled me to find that the burlap was fraying when I had barely touched it. The slightest pull on any of the individual fibers would loosen the entire length! If you're not careful and you let too much of the fibers come apart, you'll end up with a garment much smaller than you had originally intended. I was about to abandon the burlap until it dawned on me that I could try serging every edge of each pattern piece first and luckily that worked because it locked all the fibers in place! However, there's no use seam-ripping burlap so I had to be extremely careful not to make any big mistakes or I'd have to start over from scratch :(


From then on, I went about making the shorts like I normally would. After constructing the shorts, I immersed them into a Rit dye mixture of Kelly Green and Golden Yellow. Next, I moved onto constructing a plain strapless top and long, kimono-sleeve robe, once again using muslin. Both these garments had very few pieces and were quick and easy to make. I threw them both into a dye bath of Cocoa Brown and Tan Rit Dye and I ended up with this Adobe brown color! It wasn't exactly the color I was going for but in the end, the color was very flattering to my model's skin tone and hair color :) I accessorized this look with a floral headdress I had previously made and a turquoise cross to finish it off!


In case you're wondering why the fit is larger on me it's because I did after all, have to have models wear my other four designs for the show. One of my best friends modeled this look and she has a bigger bust, hence the loose fit on me; she's really tall too so I had to make the sleeves long in proportion; and she has hips unlike me so the shorts had to be bigger. So don't fret, I do know how to measure myself properly! xD The nice thing about the shorts is the pattern allowed for a tie to be put in so I can still adjust them to my size. They have that paper bag look but I think that brings out the texture of the burlap more! In conclusion, for less than $30, on all materials including fabric, dye, and zippers, I got the grass-inspired piece I had been lusting after as well as a top and robe to accompany it :) This was definitely an occasion where you can see the possibilities of some of the cheapest fabric available at its finest! ;) [If you haven't noticed yet, I am a cheapo when it comes to all my fabric choices]